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Service management & processes

When you’re offering a service, you need to satisfy your customers, and that relies on delivering consistent quality time after time. BSI standards for service management lay out good practice for carrying out a whole range of services and the processes and systems that underpin them. That’s not all. In a complex, interconnected global economy, service management standards can help you work seamlessly with supply chains and partners, and provide assurance to those procuring services around the world.

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Data privacy by design: Ensure consumer protection in the digital economy with BS ISO 31700-1
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Data privacy by design: Ensure consumer protection in the digital economy with BS ISO 31700-1

Consumer trust and how well individual privacy needs are met, are defining concerns for the digital economy. BS ISO 31700-1 is a new international standard that aims to tackle this issue, by supporting organizations to take a privacy by design approach. Privacy by design is an approach that considers the privacy of a consumer throughout the design, development, and operations for a product. It requires businesses to consider privacy throughout the entire lifecycle of their products - from before they are placed on the market, through to their purchase and use by consumers, and finally when in the end-of-life phase. Following this structure means that from its outset, you are building the capability for your product processes and their default consumer-oriented privacy controls that provide appropriate levels of privacy. BS ISO 31700-1 Consumer protection — Privacy by design for consumer goods and services: Part 1: High level requirements should be adopted by organizations who wish to take this approach in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, distribution, maintenance, and disposal of their consumer products. It focuses on ensuring the privacy of consumers’ personal information inherent in product design and that is collected as part of the sale and support of consumer products – covering both physical goods and digital services. Implementing the standard will help companies comply with data protection regulations and avoid potentially devastating data breaches that erode consumers’ confidence in the digital world. To learn more about how our standards can support your data protection and privacy processes, visit our Digital Trust Topic Page. The importance of protecting your consumers’ data In today’s digital world of shared platforms, interconnected devices, cloud applications, and personalization, it is increasingly important for businesses to focus on the consumer perspective when implementing robust privacy processes. This includes how their digital goods and services process their consumers’ personally identifiable information (PII) and other data. When PII has been compromised because of outdated, or non-existent privacy practices, the consequences for the individual can be severe. In the UK, the average cost of a data breach has grown to nearly £2.7 million, according to IBM research. In addition, there can be damage to consumer trust of the digital product and potentially legal or reputational impact to the business. As a result, there is growing demand for businesses to think beyond the existing traditional view of data security as yet another cost, and instead, embrace next-generation privacy approaches. Understand the benefits of BS ISO 31700-1’s privacy by design approach BS ISO 31700-1 helps organizations implement systematic management of privacy due diligence with respect to consumer products, as well as provide greater transparency and accountability in the design and operation of software systems that process PII. It will be especially useful to those providing digitally connected consumer products, such as home appliances and wearable devices, mobile application developers, online service providers, and more. Further benefits to businesses of using BS ISO 31700-1 include:  It promotes wider adoption of privacy best practices across all industries  It gives consumers greater confidence in their purchases, by allowing them to take back control over the use of their data It can facilitate access to international markets and boost competitiveness It can help minimize the risk of costly data breaches from occurring and subsequent reputational damage  It helps to prioritize the consumer from the outset of product design, reducing the need to ‘retro-fit’ future products to ensure they meet privacy expectations Discover our other key consumer protection standards As the competition in the consumer goods and services market continues to grow exponentially, businesses are now recognizing that they need to demonstrate their commitment to protecting their consumers in a way they didn’t before. PD ISO TR 31700-2:2023 Privacy by design for consumer goods and services — Use cases isa technical report that provides suggestions on how to use BS ISO 31700-1 as well as use cases illustrating the application of this standard in real world scenarios. It aims to help those implementing BS ISO 31700-1 such as engineers and practitioners who are involved in the development, implementation or operation of digitally enabled consumer goods and services. BS ISO 22458 Consumer vulnerability. Requirements and guidelines for the design and delivery of inclusive service is another international standard that aims to help organizations prioritize the needs of their consumers. It specifies requirements on how to design and deliver fair, flexible, and inclusive services that will increase positive outcomes for consumers and minimize the risk of harm. It supports businesses to identify, understand and support vulnerable customers, making it easier for their customers to make smart and informed choices. In turn, this can lead to better outcomes for consumers and increased customer satisfaction. When using BS ISO 31700-1 and BS ISO 22458 together, businesses can strongly demonstrate that they are actively working to protect their consumers, both in the design of their products and services. To learn more about BS ISO 22458 and its benefits read our article, ‘Is your business doing all it can to support vulnerable consumers?’. As well as consumer protection standards, we have a huge collection of data privacy standards to ensure your business is following data safeguarding best practice procedures. These include:  BS EN ISO/IEC 27701 Security techniques. Extension to ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27002 for privacy information management. Requirements and guidelines  BS EN ISO/IEC 29100 Information technology. Security techniques. Privacy framework  BS 10012 Data protection. Specification for a personal information management system BS EN ISO/IEC 27018 Information technology. Security techniques. Code of practice for protection of personally identifiable information (PII) in public clouds acting as PII processors BS ISO/IEC 27555 Information security, cybersecurity and privacy protection. Guidelines on personally identifiable information deletion Reap the benefits of taking the data privacy by design approach by adopting BS ISO 31700-1 today.  Discover BSI Knowledge Protecting your consumers data can be complex but accessing and managing your standards doesn't have to be. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the key standards you need to protect your consumers’ privacy with confidence - all in one place. Request to learn more.Read more
How standards support new trends in the service industry
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How standards support new trends in the service industry

For companies, across almost every industry and function, 2020 will forever be a defining year.  Many service businesses have had to adapt — and some have had to shift their models entirely in order to deliver their normal functions. But every business has felt the effects of rapidly changing consumer expectations.  With this change in consumer demands, new trends have emerged that businesses in the services sector must adapt to, in order to ensure future success. These trends include an increased focus on delivering higher service quality, adopting innovations to achieve commercial efficiency, and managing future risks. Service standards can adopt many formats. Standards can help service organizations embrace these emerging trends in order to improve the performance of their business and safeguard future activities. They can focus on improving the quality and efficiency of the supply part while, at the same time, opening access to new markets. How standards help with the adoption of new service trends 1. Quality of services and operational excellence Accelerating technological developments, competition in the service industry and increasing consumer expectations have brought about the need for service organizations to provide higher quality services and operational excellence.  In order to achieve this service organizations must simplify processes, upgrade IT systems, and share resources between businesses up and down the supply chain. Success in adopting this trend will often rely on a broader vision and a stronger focus on execution. Management standards can help with this: BS EN ISO 9001 is the internationally recognized Quality Management System (QMS) standard that can benefit any size service organization. It will help you to continually monitor and manage quality across your business so you can identify areas for improvement. BS ISO 44001 has evolved into an international standard to help service organizations, large and small in both public and private sectors, to build and develop effective competitive business relationships based upon a collaborative approach. It provides a framework to help organizations build effective partnerships that deliver value internally and to customers. To read more on the topic of quality management and business improvement, click here. 2. Innovation and commercial efficiency Service firms must pursue all potential sources of revenue.  Technology is being used more widely to streamline service operations, provide resources to staff, and, in some cases, replace the need for staff. Service businesses also need to constantly innovate new services and products in order to remain competitive. These developments need to be accompanied by faster time to market. Improved commercial efficiency demands continually evolving distribution models and more professional staff. Innovation standards play a crucial role in de-risking investment and accelerating the adoption of new service technologies and are also critical in the commercialization of new services. BS EN ISO 56002:2021 enables innovation programs to be scaled within service organizations, by governing and managing innovation through a common language framework standard and formal management system. By using a best practice approach, innovation will help create value for organizations, stakeholders, and society and enable organizations to benchmark their innovation capabilities. 3. Steering performance and controlling risk while maintaining compliance Service businesses must steer commercial performance while controlling future supply chain risks to avoid large disruptions and remain compliant in potentially complex regulatory environments. Service organizations that manage risks effectively are more likely to protect themselves and succeed in growing their business. The challenge for any business is to integrate good practice into their day-to-day operations and apply it to the wider aspects of their organizational practice. BS 31100:2011 provides practical and specific recommendations on how to implement the key principles of effective risk management as specified in BS ISO 31000 Risk management. Guidelines. It is a key risk management standard that offers guidance to help senior management’s strategic understanding of risk and support decision making that ensures best practice.   BS EN ISO 37301, published in 2021, is about implementing an ongoing compliance management system and obtaining a better understanding of good compliance. It specifies requirements and provides guidelines for establishing, developing, implementing, evaluating, maintaining, and improving an effective compliance management system within an organization. BS EN ISO/IEC 27001 takes a risk-based approach to help service organizations plan and implement an information security management system, which delivers an appropriate and affordable level of organizational security. Prepare your service organization for the needs of tomorrow, by adding these standards to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge Over 100,000 internationally recognized standards are available for simple and flexible access with a BSI Knowledge subscription. In your trust-critical industry, our subscription service puts the control in your hands, with traceability to monitor and demonstrate your business's compliance to standards, and self-serve functionality that enables you to manage your subscriptions, standards, users, and content quickly and simply. Request to learn more.
What is the role of consumer protection standards?
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What is the role of consumer protection standards?

Standards are everywhere, making consumers’ lives safer, fairer, and easier. Whether you are using a mobile phone, shopping online, buying a car, using a washing machine, or traveling abroad there are numerous standards behind the scenes setting good practice for organizations that provide services. Standards are an agreed way of doing something. They provide detail on ‘what good looks like’ helping organizations to make better decisions and achieve positive change. Standards can cover products, services, processes, ethics, and values. Standards are a valuable tool in the consumer protection toolkit, working alongside regulation, policy, and enforcement. Why is Good Consumer Practice Important for Service Organizations? Organizations that don’t follow good practices place consumers at risk of harm. Poor service and unfair treatment can lead to detriment such as: Adverse effect on health Breaches of online privacy or security Inconvenience and stress Financial loss Negative impact on the environment Restricted access to goods and services Serious injury or even death To learn about the topic of corporate social responsibility and governance in the service industry, click here. How do Standards Support Consumer Protection in Service Organizations? A range of consumer protection tools such as legislation, regulation, enforcement agencies, charities, and consumer groups and standards, work together to protect consumers from harm.  Standards are a valuable part of the consumer protection toolkit complementing: Legislation - standards are voluntary but, in some sectors, legislation references specific standards, which help organizations to achieve compliance with the law e.g. toys and domestic appliances. Regulators – standards can provide detailed guidance for regulated firms about good practices e.g. Ofgem references BS 18477 in its consumer vulnerability strategy. Policy – standards can support policy e.g. energy efficiency labeling Consumer groups – organizations, such as Which?, use standards in comparative product testing. Enforcement agencies – if consumers have a problem with an organization, standards can be used as a benchmark of good practice in a court of law. Standards are a powerful consumer protection tool because: The consumer's voice is included in their development - standards are developed by expert working groups, which must include all key stakeholders including consumers. Consumers have a real opportunity to influence outcomes - standards are developed by consensus, which means that expert groups must reach a shared agreement on the content. International standards can tackle cross-border consumer issues, improving consistency of protection. Standards can be developed more quickly than legislation, allowing them to be responsive to new consumer challenges. Which Standards Support Consumer Protection? There are many standards that can help service organizations protect their consumers and, in turn, inspire trust in their organization. Some of the key ones include: BS 10012:2017+A1:2018 Data protection. Specification for a personal information management system. Protecting the personal information of your customers has never been so important. As legal requirements such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) are developed and enforced, organizations need to demonstrate that they take managing privacy seriously. BS 10012 provides a best practice framework for a personal information management system that is aligned to the principles of the EU GDPR. It outlines the core requirements organizations need to consider when collecting, storing, processing, retaining, or disposing of personal records related to individuals. BS ISO 10002:2018 Quality management. Customer satisfaction. Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations. BS ISO 10002:2018 gives guidelines on how a complaint handling process should be put in place. It’s one in a series on customer satisfaction, the others being: BS ISO 10001 Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for codes of conduct for organizations BS ISO 10003 Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for dispute resolution external to organizations BS ISO 10004 Quality management — Customer satisfaction — Guidelines for monitoring and measuring It provides guidance on the process of complaints handling as it relates to an organization’s products and services, including their planning, design, development, operation, maintenance, and improvement. The complaints-handling process described is suitable for use as one of the processes of an overall quality management system. BS ISO 23592:2021 Service excellence. Principles and model. BS ISO 23592:2021 specifies service excellence terminology, principles, and model to achieve outstanding customer experience and sustainable customer delight. It does not focus on the provision of basic customer service but on the provision of excellent service. This standard applies to all organizations delivering services, such as commercial organizations, public services, and not-for-profit organizations BS ISO 20488:2018 Online consumer reviews. Principles and requirements for their collection, moderation, and publication. Online reviews have a growing influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions, making it vital that sites build confidence in the quality, integrity, accuracy, and transparency of reviews. BS ISO 20488:2018 sets out requirements for review administrators to apply to the way they collect, moderate, and publish online consumer reviews. The goal is to help organizations demonstrate that they value their customers and are committed to providing reviews that consumers can trust. Want to access and manage the standards you need to ensure you are protecting your consumers and meeting regulations - all in one place? With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the essential standards you need in order to work with your consumers with confidence and optimize your customer satisfaction processes. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to a pre-built module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more. Ensure your service organization is working to consumer protection best practices by adding these standards to your collection today.
How to achieve sustainability with standards in your service organization
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How to achieve sustainability with standards in your service organization

The growing importance of the services sector in the global economy is not only a well-documented trend, it is also a powerful opportunity to leverage millions of jobs and encourage the creation of more innovative companies. Services, however, are not just about economic growth. They are also the road to development. Increased trade in services has been correlated with poverty reduction, as it is a catalyst for job creation, in particular jobs for women in developing countries.  A closer look at the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in September 2015, also highlights the crucial role of public services and the urgent imperative for governments to improve and reform public utilities.  There is no doubt that reforming and adapting public-sector services to make them more sustainable has its challenges as it means taking several socio-economic, environmental and political factors into consideration in the provision of services.  To read more on the topic of corporate social responsibility and governance in the service industry, click here. Harnessing standards to make the service industry more sustainable must therefore take a realistic and inclusive approach that encourages actors from the private and public sector service organizations to work together. Sustainability standards in the provision of services Standards help you to understand the impact your services and supply chain have on the environment. Environmental management is designed to manage cost through sustainable practice; reduce, reuse and recycle. BS EN ISO 14001 helps businesses of all sizes across all sectors make their day-to-day operations more sustainable.  Sustainability can ultimately save money, improve brand reputation, engage employees and build resilience against uncertainty as well as the ability to rapidly adapt to change. Implementing an environmental management system will help your organization to:  Comply with environmental rules and regulations. Analyze activities and establish actual and potential environmental impacts. Measure, control and reduce waste. Meet supply chain requirements. Reduce operating costs by discovering and implementing more sustainable practices. As the service sector continues to grow in line with increasing demand, as does the amount of energy required to provide these services. This not only puts a strain on natural resources, it also impacts carbon emissions. This calls for close monitoring by organizations as the pressure on profits is not just caused by the amount of energy used, but also by rising prices. Standards can help clients cut carbon emissions as well as energy bills. Used by large and small service organizations across the world to manage and reduce energy use and costs, BS EN ISO 50001 is an excellent framework to help implement an energy management system (EnMS). This best practice framework helps organizations better manage and reduce their energy consumption.  Complementing this, PAS 2060 can help you maintain trust in your efforts to manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It applies to service organizations of all types. This means you can achieve carbon neutrality across all service areas, including construction, transport, manufacturing, product lines, and events. Ensure your service organization is working to sustainability best practices by adding these standards to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge As the pressure builds for all businesses to achieve net zero, knowing which standards can help you manage your energy efficiently can seem like a huge challenge. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the essential standards you need in order to start your journey to net zero with confidence. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to one of our pre-built modules, such as GBM06 Environment, Wastes, and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.

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